EU summit ends without budget deal

BRUSSELS (AP) -- A European Union summit charged with agreeing on a long-term budget for the 27-nation bloc has broken up without a deal.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who presides over the summits, that the national leaders had told him and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to continue working toward consensus over the coming weeks.

Van Rompuy said the "constructive discussions" at the summit meant that an agreement could be reached early next year.

Barroso, too, called the talks constructive. But he added, "we are not yet at the point of reaching consensus."

The prospect of failure had loomed over the EU leaders' summit, charged with agreeing on a €1 trillion ($1.25 trillion) long-term spending plan for the 27-country bloc, even before the meeting began.